As our friend said that living organism is the one with protein or nucleic acid or both and imposes its own form and function into another, i would like to say that prions,viroids and viruses ARE LIVING as a prion changes a normal protein to function like itself, a viroid corrupts the normal RNA or DNA TO function like itself and worst of all viruses like HIV have the whole immune system under their control and others undergo mutations to resist the effects of drugs and above all they evolve into living things over millions of years.

Out the body they act as crystaline non living entities which does not exhibit any form of life but once introduced to the human system they tend to use the cells nucleic acids and other conditions to replicate and multiplier thereby attaining the status of being called a living organism

Raaar! I did not mean to post that primitive version of the post! How did that get posted!?

Sumanth001 wrote:shouldn't there be a 7th kingdom called false life exclusively for viruses as they show more living characters than the nonliving ones???

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpag ... s-14402410The last two sections discuss its nucleic acid analysis and attempts at classification. In summary, if they descended from a once independent organism, that could mean the introduction of a new taxa that is superordinate to the domain.However, the unused translation equipment may have been obtained through horizontal gene transfer, in which case they are not vestigial structures.

Sumanth001: ... and one group of viruses (mimiviruses) show even their own metabolism outside a host.JackBean: Where did you get the stuff about metabolism outside a host?Sumanth001: Net of course! Wikipedia knows it all.But, not so convincing.Type mimivirus in the search bar

Wikipedia just says they have some equipment used in metabolism. In the last section of the Wikipedia article, about implications for definition of life, it says:

They do however, lack genes for ribosomal proteins, making mimivirus dependent on a host cell for protein translation and energy metabolism.

sure enough but since it can make its proteins itself, my question is why does it need ribosomal proteins??? do ribosomal proteins define life???? if so, then viruses with protein coat would become living and prions too.And all other protein particles too would be living isn't it???